Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions for Week 9 vs. Chargers

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DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 28: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions fumbles the ball as Jarran Reed #90 of the Seattle Seahawks tackles him during the second half at Ford Field on October 28, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The Seattle Seahawks are facing off against the red hot Los Angeles Chargers in a battle of potential wild card teams.

The Seattle Seahawks have a tough matchup this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are sitting at 5-2 with their only losses coming against the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, which are the two best teams in the NFL right now. The Chargers will enter Seattle on a four-game winning streak.

The Seahawks are also on a successful run. The team has won four of its last five games, with the only loss coming against the undefeated Rams. The team’s defense and run game are performing better than they have in quite some time and will hopefully carry the day for them this weekend. Most importantly, the Seahawks seem to have found their identity as a team in the post-Legion of Boom era.

With both teams looking to secure crucial wins to increase their records and playoff hopes, here are three of my predictions for the game,

Neither team will record a sack

Philip Rivers has experienced some luxurious protection over the last two seasons. He was sacked just 18 times in 2017 and so far has only been brought down nine times this season. For reference, Rivers was sacked 36 times in 2016 and the most sacked quarterback this year has been dropped 31 times (Eli Manning).

Rivers has only been sacked three more times than Sam Bradford or Brock Osweiler, both of whom have had three starts compared to Rivers’ seven this season.

Russell Wilson has been sacked 21 times this season and the Seahawks have an infamously poor offensive line, but 12 of those sacks came in the first two weeks alone. Since then Wilson has been sacked about twice a game. But the Chargers as a team are only 21st in the NFL in sacks with 18. The team has clearly been suffering from the absence of the injured Joey Bosa and it is unlikely the Pro Bowl defensive end will return for the game on Sunday.

Between Rivers’ protection and Wilson’s scrambling abilities, there’s a good chance no one will get a sack on Sunday.

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